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The policy desk
What’s moving in phones
The debate over phones, screens and the school day.
On Sept. 24 the district said it was told in writing by the state homeland security and emergency services division (Nov. 18, 2025 and Feb. 27, 2026) that FEMA recovery money could not pay to demolish the former Staley Elementary. It says a recent FEMA letter appears to say something different, and it has asked the state to clarify.
The Sept 23, 2026 agenda says the board will be asked to accept and adopt the State Monitor's Three-Year Academic Improvement and Financial Plans for 2026-27 through 2028-29, as presented by State Monitor Dr. William H. Johnson, and to let the superintendent carry them out. Minutes are not yet posted, so the result is not confirmed.
Board members said the two-year agreement with the Town of Riverhead for two police school resource officers (SROs) has ended. Under it the district paid half of salaries and benefits. Trustees said the district budgeted $200,000, which they said equals about 58% of the cost, and that town board members publicly said the district did not budget. The board said it remains committed to the program and will keep talking with the town.
The State Comptroller reviewed 2,878 district credit-card purchases ($196,039) from July 2022 to October 2023. It found missing receipts, purchases by unauthorized users, unnecessary meal purchases, poor fuel-card oversight, and claims paid before audit. It made 16 recommendations. District officials generally disagreed.
At the September 14, 2026 meeting a board member said the district's special education compliance rose from 47% to 94% in one year and performance scores from 68% to 77%. The member said the district is no longer on the state's intervention list.
The district's internal auditors recommended an outside cybersecurity test and a refresh of the disaster recovery and incident plans. In its Sept. 9 reply the district agreed and set June 30, 2028 for the security tests and June 30, 2027 for the plan updates.
The district says the Propel NY project would bury 138,000- and 345,000-volt power cables in trenches under local roads, including Robbins Lane (next to Robbins Lane Elementary) and South Woods Road, which leads to South Woods Middle School and Syosset High School. The district filed papers opposing it as proposed.
In May 2026, the district found its voter database had assigned some people to the wrong polling places for the budget vote and board election. The board let voters use any polling place for that vote. On Aug. 20, 2026, it created an ad hoc committee on elections to review polling places, how voters are assigned, and uneven voter turnout across the city.
Forensic accountants told the board on August 18, 2026 that the $24 million deficit warning given in February 2024 was not supported. Cash was off by about $43 million, and the projection files could not be produced. They called it a breakdown in budgeting accuracy and oversight, not a fraud finding.
The superintendent reported that of 81 required actions in last year's state-monitor plan, 59 were fully done and 20 partly done. Of 33 goals, 6 were met, 13 partly met and 13 not met. The four-year graduation rate fell and chronic absenteeism rose. Eight plan violations are being fixed.
The superintendent reported that four more locations passed testing, but several outlets still did not pass. Non-potable signs will remain at affected outlets while remediation continues.
The annual school safety report for 2025-26 shows more assaults and weapons possession at the high school and districtwide, and a small rise in drug use or possession at the middle school. Threats of violence went down overall.
Keane, Lincoln and Pleasant Valley Elementary are in New York 'receivership,' the state's highest level of school support. On August 5 the board created and approved an executive director of district improvement, paid for by a special grant, to supervise them.
The superintendent said district enrollment is below 5,000 and still falling. He promised a detailed enrollment report in August. A demographer has been hired to study enrollment and elementary school zones.
In July, the superintendent reported that the reorganization study had not yet been submitted to the state and was several weeks behind schedule. The districts were still pursuing the study and expected state feedback around late August or early September.
On July 9, 2026 the board approved an engagement letter with PKF O'Connor Davies to act as the district's forensic auditor, and a separate letter for the 2026-27 outside audit. At the April 14, 2026 meeting, trustees said the gap between projected revenue and spending at the end of February was about $16.8 million, compared with about $3.3M (2023), $5.6M (2024) and $3.6M (2025). Administrators called it a 'snapshot in time' and said the 2026-27 shortfall of about $3 million was closed with cuts.
The teachers' union (MCTA) and the board have not agreed on a new contract. Talks reached impasse in early 2026 and a mediator is helping. The board says the biggest gap is retiree health care: teachers are the only staff whose family plan in retirement is fully paid by the district. The cost of that plan is $43,965 a year per retiree. A mediation session was set for August 6, 2026.
Students with IEPs or 504 plans were 16% of district enrollment but 21.7% of the 83 students disciplined under the phone policy. The district called the difference statistically significant and announced corrective steps.
On Jul 1, 2026 the Board approved the Elden Elementary improvement plan for 2026-27 (9-0). The superintendent said the district must stay on the state's designation list for the full two-year period and that the State has accepted the plan. New designations for next year are expected in the fall.